A laser-excited-phosphor light-source system in which a phosphor plate remains stationary while a laser beam is made to scan across the phosphor plate. In some embodiments, the phosphor-plate assembly includes a plurality of areas each having a different phosphor substance that emits wavelength-converted light in response to excitation from the scanned laser beam and/or a diffusive material. In some embodiments, one or more rotating prisms and/or one or more rotating or oscillating or angularly displaced mirrors are used to deflect the input laser light on the way toward the phosphor plate and to deflect the wavelength-converted and/or diffused light in the opposite direction such that the output beam of wavelength-converted and/or diffused light remains stationary with respect to the phosphor plate as the input laser beam is moved across the surface of the phosphor-plate assembly.

A mirror scanner comprising: a mirror having a first surface that reflects a light, the mirror being swingable about a swing axis; a permanent magnet disposed on a second surface which is a surface opposite of the first surface of the mirror; and a yoke having a pair of magnetic field generating ends and a pair of extending portions, the pair of magnetic field generating ends being disposed at positions facing the permanent magnet in the second surface side of the mirror, the pair of extending portions extending along the second surface of the mirror.

A mirror scanner comprising: a mirror having a first surface that reflects a light, the mirror being swingable about a swing axis; a permanent magnet disposed on a second surface which is a surface opposite of the first surface of the mirror; and a yoke having a pair of magnetic field generating ends and a pair of extending portions, the pair of magnetic field generating ends being disposed at positions facing the permanent magnet in the second surface side of the mirror, the pair of extending portions extending along the second surface of the mirror.

An optical apparatus includes a deflection unit configured to deflect illumination light from a light source and to deflect reflected light from the object, and a light guide unit configured to guide the illumination light to the deflection unit and to guide the reflected light from the deflection unit to a light receiving unit. The light guide unit includes first and second passage areas, and a reflective area. The illumination light is branched into first and second illumination lights by the light guide unit. The first illumination light is emitted from the first passage area and the second illumination light is emitted from the second passage area so that an emission direction of the first illumination light and that of the second illumination light are not parallel to each other, and then the first illumination light and the second illumination light enter the deflection unit.

The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods that can improve performance in scanning laser devices. Specifically, the systems and methods utilize a non-uniform variation in optical expansion coupled with variation in the energy level of laser light pulses to provide an improved effective range over a scanning area. In general, the improved effective range varies over the scan field, with relatively long effective range in some areas of the scan field and relatively short effective range in other areas of the scan field. This varying range over the scan field is facilitated by expansion optics that provide a non-uniform variation in optical expansion for laser light pulses relative to position along a first axis in the scan field and by a light source controller that varies the energy level of the laser light pulses according to position along the first axis of the scan field.

A transmitting device, preferably containing at least two laser diodes and a scanning mirror, which is deflectable about its center (MP) and is arranged in a housing with a transparent cover element. The cover element is formed, at least in a coupling-out region, by a section of a monocentric hemispherical shell (HK) with a center of curvature (K) and is arranged to cover the scanning mirror in such a way that the center of curvature (K) of the hemispherical shell (HK) and the center (MP) of the scanning mirror coincide, and is formed in a coupling-in region by an optical block, comprising a toroidal entrance surface, in the special form of a cylindrical surface, at least one toroidal exit surface and at least two first mirror surfaces arranged between them, for deflecting and pre-collimating the laser beams.

A transmitting device, preferably containing at least two laser diodes and a scanning mirror, which is deflectable about its center (MP) and is arranged in a housing with a transparent cover element. The cover element is formed, at least in a coupling-out region, by a section of a monocentric hemispherical shell (HK) with a center of curvature (K) and is arranged to cover the scanning mirror in such a way that the center of curvature (K) of the hemispherical shell (HK) and the center (MP) of the scanning mirror coincide, and is formed in a coupling-in region by an optical block, comprising a toroidal entrance surface, in the special form of a cylindrical surface, at least one toroidal exit surface and at least two first mirror surfaces arranged between them, for deflecting and pre-collimating the laser beams.

An optical assembly for a LiDAR system is described. The optical assembly includes receiver optics and transmitter optics, designed to include partially coaxial beam paths; a line light source having a line orientation, which is configured, in particular within the range of a field of view of the underlying LiDAR system; and a deflection unit in a transition region from a common coaxial region to a separate biaxial region of the beam paths of the receiver optics and of the transmitter optics for biaxially splitting off a detector-side portion of the beam path of the receiver optics. The deflection unit has a hole mirror having an elongated hole that has a greater extent in a direction of longitudinal extent and a lesser extent in a direction of transverse extent. The direction of longitudinal extent of the elongated hole is oriented orthogonally to the line orientation of the line light source.

A microelectromechanical structure includes a body of semiconductor material having a fixed frame internally defining a cavity, a mobile mass elastically suspended in the cavity and movable with a first resonant movement about a first rotation axis and with a second resonant movement about a second rotation axis, orthogonal to the first axis. First and second pairs of supporting elements, extending in cantilever fashion in the cavity, are rigidly coupled to the frame, and are piezoelectrically deformable to cause rotation of the mobile mass about the first and second rotation axes. First and second pairs of elastic-coupling elements are elastically coupled between the mobile mass and the first and the second pairs of supporting elements. The first and second movements of rotation of the mobile mass are decoupled from one another and do not interfere with one another due to the elastic-coupling elements of the first and second pairs.

A LiDAR system which includes an optical system that encompasses a first lens, which is preferably statically positioned, and a second lens, which is preferably rotatably supported in relation to the first lens. The first lens and the second lens are situated along a shared optical path, and at least either the first lens or the second lens is configured to be set into rotation in order to bring about a beam deflection from the optical path in at least one spatial direction.